Knockdown stool-easel



y 1953 F. c. HOLBROGK 2,638,702

KNOCKDOWNSTOOL-EASEL Filed Aug. 19, 1949 INVENTORI F/zgwcia C. Hmua-mwk BY jKmm K manta.) k

Patented May 19, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KNOCKDOWN STOOL-EASEL Francis 0. Holbrook, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application August 19, 1949, Serial No. 111,121

4 Claims.

j This invention is a novel knockdown stooleasel, being an article of manufacture in the nature of a light, portable and collapsible combination constituting a knockdown structure which adapted for Various uses such as sketching or painting by artists indoors or outdoors, or similar uses.

The general object of the present invention is to afford an inexpensively constructed article of manufacture, light in weight and readily carried from place to place; and more especially the main object is to supply such an article which can be knocked down readily and is then in such compact form as to be easily carried, handled, set up and knocked down. A further object is to afford such an article which is simple of structure and convenient in use, providing a comfortable seat or stool, in combination with a highly convenient easel adapted to support any conventional form of workboard, sketching pad, painting frame or the like, and to be adjusted at will. Another object is to provide such an article which, when set up, is readily latched or locked against collapse and yet' is readily unlatched or released for the purpose of rearranging the parts into their compact or knockdown form. e

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be explained in the hereinafter following description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention, orwill be understood by those conversant with the subject. To the attainment of such objects and advantages the present invention consists in the novel knockdown stooleasel, and the novel features of combination, construction, arrangement and detail herein illustrated or described.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the stool-easel of this invention with the parts in their set-up position, showing the stool elements at the lefthand part of the drawing and the easel elements at the righthand part thereof, and with one practical position of the workboard shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the set-up article of Fig. 1, showing one of several possible positions of l the workboard there indicated in 'full lines.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the article in its relatively fiat knockdown condition or adjustment, which figureshows that when the stool seat is circular, this and its extension parts present a banjo-like form.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the parts in their knockdown position. i

..,Fig. 5, partly in sideelevation and partly in 2 section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, shows a detail in the relation of the seat and a leg thereof, with releasable latch means between the seat and the leg.

Fig. 6, looking from the side, is a section taken on the line 5-6 of Fig. 1 showing a detail as to the support and the clipping or clamping of the workboard upon the adjustable elements of the easel.

In the drawing the mechanical parts are first enumerated as follows. The workboard or artists pad or frame l0 appears in Figs. 1 and 2. At the left or stool end of the article or stool-easel the seat II is shown of round form although it may be of other shape, and may be composed of wood or plastic material but preferably a light metal as'aluminum alloy.

By means of hinges l2 each comprising a small bracket and a connecting pin, underneath the seat II, the two rear legs l3, l3 are mounted to swing between their set-up and knockdown positions; and while these legs are shown cylindrical they may be of flat form like the auxiliary leg or easel prop 20 to be described. To hold each leg in its set-up position a latch l4-l5 is shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 5, consisting of a strip spring 14 cooperating with a projection [5. The spring I4 may be apertured to receive the latching projection l5 at the top of the leg; the latching parts snapping into engagement when the article is set up. It is only necessary to press back the spring end to release the leg for folding in at the underside of the seat.

The means interconnecting the rear or stool parts and the easel parts at the front consists of the longitudinal axial beam or rigid extension bar l1, secured or bolted unitarily to the seat, as by the beam flanges l8.

Taking a midpoint of the beam I"! as being the dividing point between the stool elements and. the easel elements, the latter comprise the auxiliary leg or prop 20 together with the easel arm 22 and parts carried thereby. These parts 2il and 22 are connected to the front part of the beam toswing pivotally between their working and knockdown positions, each of them about a transverse axis; Preferably a single axle or pivot bolt 23 serves for the swinging mounting of both the easel prop 20 and the easel arm 22; this bolt passing through the beam as the fixed element, and through the arm and the prop, the far end of the bolt being threaded to receive a complementary member as the wingnut 24. Thisholding or gripping member 24 may be tightened in either the set-up or the knockdown position of the parts, this ar-' further the holding surface and friction. Whenthe artist is at work in the field the tilted adjustment of the workboard thereby will not be easily disturbed.

When the parts are knockdown, as in Figs. 3

and 4, the cross bar 26, at the free end 'of'the I easel arm 22 serves the additional purposeof overlying not only the infolded end of the prop Ell -but also the iii-folded end or-the legs 53,13.- Th'e parts are then in theircarrying position, and the tightening'clamping of-the wingnu-t secures them thus, without the need of a speciai locker hook to prevent-displacement of the fourunfolded or' knocked *down parts.

As "a means 'ofsupportin'gandholding, clipping or clamping a-workboard ill or the like upon theeasel arm 22 said arm is shown as provided with a =crossbar 25; neac-itsiree end, this being of substantial lateraldimension to accommodate the expected sizeof workboard. By means of a threaded-bolt 21, engaging a threaded bore in a lug 29atthe end-of thearm an overlying clamping member or block 28 may be brought down into 'contact'up'on thefar orouter edge of the workboard. By this device the workhoard I is squeezed and firmly held. The small parts 2i and 23"may be'detach'ed and carried separatelytorender the collapsed article better: transportable.

By these means the workboard restsfairly steadily upon the crossbar 26; whereat it is clamped,- with a third contact or rest upon the top o'f thebeam extension ll; while, for a shorter workboarda'second'crossbar 38 may be pro vi'cled extending" right and leftward from the easel arm-2'2; This-supplemental member serves notonly a's'a pad-support but also, as will be understood from Fig. 3, as a convenient crosshandle 'for carrying the collapsed stool-easeh The mechanical parts of thestool-seat of this invention having been identified, the subject matter," being acombinationoi elementa may be explainedfurther as to the structures, actions and cooperations of the parts. The sto'ol sea't H is normally supported by its-pair of symmetrically spaced-apart depending rear stooll-3, which are-mounted by the hinges 12 so that the legs may be swung from their working position'of Figsfl and 2 in a somewhat convergin'gmanner to their collapsed positions of Figs. 3 and l; where the legs lie flatly and non-parallel against the underside of the seat.

When each leg has been set up, the spring lock device M; holds' the 'legs'rigidly inposition. The need'of'a third leg beneath the seat is"d'ispensed with, since this function is provided byrthe-"easel prop or leg 29: The rear legs could be telescopic for reduction of knockdown dimensions; but the disclosed arrangement dispenses with this-while a'fiording suiiicient set-up leg length for general purposes. The frontward positionof the: auxiliary leg operates to increase the area of the base of support; comprised be- 4 tween the points where the three legs rest upon the ground or floor, affording ample stability.

In changing the adjustment of the parts between set-up and knockdown positions the beam ll acts as a rigid part of the seat H, and near the front part of the beam the swinging elements 20 and 22 are mounted to swing about the cross axis provided by the bolt or threaded axle 23 with which cooperates the tightener or winenut -24} readily operable Eloy/hand; for the readjustingand setting of the' part's.

While seated on the stool seat the artist can readily adjust the easel arm to any desired upslant,--as will be clear from Fig. 2; this by loosening the wingnut, setting the easel arm and workboard, and tightening the wingnut, all without loss of stability by the loosening and tightening' of the easel'prop leg 20 simultaneously therewith.

There has thus beendescribed a knockdown stool-easel embodyin the principles and. attaining the objects of the presentinvention; and since many matters of combination,- construe-- tiony arrangement, design and detail may be :var-- iously modified without departingfrom such principles; it is not intended to-limit the-invention to such matters except to the extent-set forth in the appended claims.

What "is claimed is 1 1. A portable, knockdown"stool-easel comprising a stool-seat,-leg--meansdepending from the rearsection ofsaid stool seat in set-up position and hinged to said stool-'seat-to permit-said leg. means to be folded against'the underside ofsaid stool seatknockdownposition, .a beam .rigidl-y secured to the underside-of -sai'd stool seat and projecting substantially frontwardtherefrom, a -pivot clamping'boltsupported on the forward end of said beam, an-easel prop pivotally-supported on-sai-d bolt and movable about-the axisof said bolt from depending set-up position to folded knockdown position along sa-idbeamand against the underside of'said stool seat. and an easel arm pivotally supported on said -bolt-and 5 movable independently of. said propaboutthe axis of said bolt from extende'd set-upposition frontwa-rd ofsaid beam to folded knockdown position along said beam "and against the undersideor 'said stool-seat, said-bolt includ-ingrtighteningand loosening means manipulableeinto' position to loosen said bolt and-to permit thereby the pivotal movements of said easel'arm-andsaid prop-about the axisofsaid bolt rela-tiveto said beam and manipulable into tight clamping posi tion to holdsaid prop and said-easel-arm selectively either in set-up position' or in knockdown folded position.

2-. A portable, knockdown stool-easel comprising a stoolseat, leg means depending fromthe rear section of saidstool-seat in set-upposition and hinged"=to =said stool seat to permit said leg means to be folded against the underside of said stool seat in knockdown position,'-a"beam' rigidly secured to'the underside "of said stool-'rseat and projecting. substantially irontward there from, an easel prop =pivotallyf supported on the forward end of said beam for movement fronrdepending set-upposition to .folded"kno'okdown position alongsaid beam and against the under side of said stool seat; an' easel armpivotallyfsupported on the forward end or said beam for movement from extended set-up p'osition frontward of saidbeam-tofolded knockdown position along said beam and against the'underside of said stool seat, icrossbar on the'i orward end of said easel arm for supporting a workboard in set-up extended position of said easel arm, said easel arm being long enough, whereby in folded knockdown position of said easel arm, said crossbar overlies said leg means on the underside of said stool seat in folded knockdown position of said leg means, and releasable means for holding said easel arm folded knockdown'position and for holding thereby said leg means in folded knockdown position.

3. A portable, knockdown stool-easel comprising a stool seat, leg means depending from the rear section of said stool seat in set-up position and hinged to said stool seat to permit said 18% means to be folded against the underside of said stool seat in knockdown position, a beam rigidly secured to the underside of said stool seat and projecting substantially frontward therefrom, an easel prop pivotally supported on the forward end of said beam for movement from depending set-up position to folded knockdown position along said beam and against the underside of said stool seat, a pivot clamping bolt supported on the forward end of said beam, an easel arm pivotally supported on said bolt and movable about the axis of said bolt from extended set-up position frontward of said beam to folded knockdown position along said beam and against the underside of said stool seat, a crossbar on the forward end of said easel arm for supporting a workboard in set-up extended position of said easel arm, said easel arm being long enough, whereby in folded knockdown position of said easel arm, said crossbar overlies said leg means on the underside of said stool seat in folded knockdown position of said leg means, said pivot bolt including tightening and loosening means manipulable to permit the pivotal movement of said easel arm about the axis of said bolt or to hold said easel arm selectively either in set-up position or in knockdown folded position.

4. A portable, knockdown stool-easel comprising a stool seat, a pair of spaced rear legs pivotally connected at one end to the underside of said stool seat and movable between set-up seat supporting position and collapsed knockdown position against the underside of said stool seat, a beam rigidly secured to the underside of said stool seat and extending therealong in centered position with respect to said rear legs, the front section Of said beam projecting forwardly from said stool seat, a pivot clamping bolt supported on the forward end of said beam and having a clamping wing-nut to tighten or loosen said bolt, an easel prop pivotally supported on said bolt and movable about the axis of said bolt from depending set-up position to folded knockdown position alon said beam and against the underside of said stool seat, an easel arm pivotally supported on said bolt and movable independently of said prop about the axis of said bolt from extended set-up position frontward of said beam to folded knockdown position along said beam and against the underside of said stool seat, and a crossbar on the forward end of said easel arm for supporting a workboard in set-up extended position of said easel arm, said easel arm being long enough, whereby in folded knockdown position of said easel arm, said crossbar overlies said rear legs on the underside of said stool seat in folded knockdown position of said rear legs, said bolt being adapted to be loosened by manipulation of said wing-nut to permit the pivotal movements of said easel arm and said prop about the axis of said bolt relative to said beam and being adapted to be tightened by manipulation of said wing-nut to hold said prop and said easel arm selectively either in set-up position or in knockdown folded position and to hold said rear legs in folded knockdown position by the confining action of the overlying crossbar.

FRANCIS C. I-IOLBROOK.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 779,202 Burgess Jan. 3, 1905 815,672 Beebe Mar. 20, 1906 1,414,247 Anderson Apr. 25, 1922 1,567,484 Beard Dec. 29, 1925 1,619,381 Steward Mar. 1, 1927 2,486,468 Freedman Nov. 1, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 59,864 Australia June 25, 1913 

